The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-04
THE OLD KICKER.


In landlords, on the street car, when
the old kicker got aboard The drum
mer had said he supposed he had the
meanest landlord that ever lived, and
cited instances in which his landlord
had charged him with damages for a
hole in the mopboald of the kitchen,
where a mouse had gnawed so he could
get through, and few such things.
The insurance man said his landlord was
the meanest man on earth, with illustra-
tons. The board of trade man offered
to make affidavit that for pure, I'M
adulterated cussedness his landlord
could take the premium at world s
fair of mean landlords. and the floor
walker got the dressmaker who boarded
at his house, to back him up in the
statement that there was no landlord
in the country as mean as his landlord.
The old kicker kept still for couple
Of minutes, until he got the drift of the
conversation, and then he said:
Speaking of landlords"
"Who spoke of landlords" said the
drummer, as he waved newspaper,
and drove number of flies that were
in his end of the car, over towards the
kicker.
Nobody said word about land
lords" said the board of trade man,
who sat on the other side Of the kicker,
as he famed the flies back with paper,
and caused them to settle in the kick
er's whiskers.
There has been no word said about
landlords" said the insurance man. as
he set the point of his dripping UNI
brella into one of the kicker's low
shoes.
Landlords" said the floor walker,
in astonishment. "Who spoke of land
lordsP" and he pulled down package
Of dime museum advertisements that
hung up in the car, and let them drop
in the old kicker lap.
"You lie, every one of you, condum
you." said the kicker. as he brushed
the flies away, spilled the museum dodg-
ers out of his lap, and took off his
shoe and emptied the dirty water from
the umbrella out "You were talking
about landlords when l came in, and l
want to tell you of one l rented OF a
few years ago. He told me, in conf
dence, when l went to look at his house,
that he was the best landlord that ever
rented house. He said he wanted
his tenants just like one family, and he
wanted them to not hesitate to ask for
anything they wanted done around the
house. He said he never expected to
make any money on his houses, but he
wanted TO feel that when he died, and
went to heaven, he could look his ten
ants in the face, and not have
them feel that he was rob-
Der. He said many people who had
lived in his houses, and afterwards
gone elsewhere, were just dying to get
back into one he owned. We were
looking through one of his houses, and
he said if there was anything ! wanted
done to the house, to 60 right on and
do it, as though it was my own house.
l thought nothing could be any fairer,
and took lease at once. AS we went
out of the door, he asked me If didn't
think the front steps needed painting,
and l said l thought little paint
wouldn't hurt them, and he said he
would attend TO it at once, and he went
and got POI of brindle paint and was
painting them before | got around the
corner. thought he was the best
landlord had ever seen, and told my
wife so. Well, l got man to paper
the rooms, and paint the woodwork in
side, which was absolutely needed,
and we moved in. In the course of
three weeks the landlord said the front
steps had got little worn in moving
in, and asked me If he hadn't better
paint them again, and told him it
would be good idea, and in fifteen
minutes he was at them with his pot Of
brindle paint, and thought what
blessed man he was 10 be constantly
improvements. At the end
of the month the bill came in for paper
ing and painting, and when the land
lard presented his bill for the rent, l
handed him the paper-hangers' bill in
a nonchalant manner, and he said he
guessed that was all right, and could